What Will Be the NBA's Biggest Plot Twist This Season?

The NBA is more unpredictable than it's ever been, with marquee players switching teams and conferences left and right.

Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Anthony Davis requested a trade and landed on the Lakers, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George left their respective teams to join the Clippers and Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are on the Nets, the NBA has never been more unpredictable. Seriously, what else could happen this year? 

The Crossover staff selected major plot twist for the 2019-20 NBA season.

Rob Mahoney: Chris Paul will be on the Thunder’s roster through the trade deadline

From the moment that Paul was sent to Oklahoma City, the trade machine whirred into overdrive. Players of Paul’s age, talent, and disposition aren’t generally looking to spend their latter prime with transitional teams—particularly those, like the Thunder, who will be looking for a core of young players to invest in and develop for years to come. The catch is the $38.5 million Paul is owed this season—and the $85.6 million he might be owed in the two seasons after. It’s hard to find trade partners in general who can take on that kind of money, much less those without a high-level point guard in place. Even if Oklahoma City is a kind of waystation for Paul, his layover could take him through the upcoming season.

Chris Mannix: Markelle Fultz returns to relevance

It’s been a wild ride for Fultz, but he has landed with the right team (low pressure Orlando), the right coach (Steve Clifford, who is excellent with young players) and if the preseason is any indication is playing with more confidence than we ever saw in Philadelphia. Fultz is going to have to prove he can make shots, but if he stays healthy the Magic will finally benefit from the potential Philadelphia saw in 2017—and make a jump in the standings because of it.

Jeremy Woo: The Lakers make a first-round exit

There’s been a weird wave of boundless optimism surrounding this team, and while it’s not misplaced, a dose of realism is equally healthy at the moment. Anthony Davis is already banged up. The supporting cast is thin. Where LeBron James goes, in-season drama always follows, and I’m less concerned about his body turning 35 than I am about this group holding together for 82 games and making it to the playoffs in one piece. I think the Lakers get there, but it’s already a fickle situation, and they’re almost guaranteed to get a difficult draw in the West, regardless of seed. I’ll stop short of saying Anthony Davis goes job-hunting in July, but this entire thing just feels tenuous to me.

Rohan Nadkarni: The Rockets Won’t Make the Second Round

Only four teams can make the second round of the playoffs in the Western Conference. I think the Lakers, Clippers, and Nuggets are locks. That leaves teams like the Warriors, Jazz, Blazers, and Rockets fighting for the last spot—and I think Houston will be the odd team out. The Rockets have a couple things working against them. Russell Westbrook hasn’t made it out of the first round since Kevin Durant left Oklahoma City. But more importantly, teams like the Jazz and Blazers seem more well balanced. Harden and Russ have both had some postseason struggles, and they can’t afford any lapses against an even deeper West slate. This is really going to come down to Russ off the ball. If Houston can make that work, then I’ll have looked stupid all year long for doubting them. But if Westbrook struggles adjusting to a wildly different situation, Houston could run into some issues—and better constructed teams.